Michael
The English spelling of Michał, from the Hebrew for "who is like God". It stays uncommon in Poland and goes to fewer boys each year, so meeting one is memorable.
Michael Pronunciation
Michael is pronounced mee-KHAH-el (/miˈxaɛl/).
What Michael means
Where Michael comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Michael begins as a Hebrew question. Mikha'el asks „who is like God?" and expects no reply, because the whole force of the question is that no one is. Scripture answered it anyway, handing the name to the archangel who leads heaven's armies against the dragon, and English readers met Michael there first.
From that English tradition the name spread widely, though its grammar never softened. To be named Michael is to be named after a challenge rather than a description. The question has no answer.
Polish keeps the same root and bends it in two directions. Michał serves sons and Michalina serves daughters, and both still mean „któż jak bóg", who is like God. Open a class register and you will find several Michałs, their name-day marked for 29 September, the feast of the archangel.
How many people are named Michael
1 in 2752 men in Poland is named Michael. 7,767 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #406 among male names.
Michael's popularity over time
38 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #405 among newborns. It is making a comeback after a low in 2022.
Where parents choose Michael
Michael is most popular in Opole, 369% above the national average (20 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Lower Silesian (+86%) and Pomeranian (+39%). It is least common in West Pomeranian and Łódź, 49% and 32% below average respectively.
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Opole
+369%1 in 2,305 babies
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Lower Silesian
+86%1 in 5,820 babies
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Pomeranian
+39%1 in 7,754 babies
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West Pomeranian
−49%1 in 21,106 babies
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Łódź
−32%1 in 15,840 babies
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Greater Poland
−25%1 in 14,350 babies
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Opole+369% 20 born1 in 2,305 babies+369%
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Lower Silesian+86% 27 born1 in 5,820 babies+86%
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Pomeranian+39% 19 born1 in 7,754 babies+39%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian+19% 12 born1 in 9,115 babies+19%
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Masovian+10% 36 born1 in 9,841 babies+10%
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Lubusz+9% 5 born1 in 9,931 babies+9%
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Subcarpathian−1% 11 born1 in 10,960 babies−1%
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Lesser Poland−10% 19 born1 in 11,943 babies−10%
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Silesian−10% 19 born1 in 11,978 babies−10%
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Podlaskie−18% 5 born1 in 13,157 babies−18%
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Greater Poland−25% 15 born1 in 14,350 babies−25%
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Łódź−32% 8 born1 in 15,840 babies−32%
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West Pomeranian−49% 4 born1 in 21,106 babies−49%
Michael as a middle name
Michael is a first name for 7,767 men in Poland and a middle name for another 3,643, a 68/32 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 143rd, between Teofil (3,698) and Wilhelm (3,586).
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#141 Olaf3,699
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#142 Teofil3,698
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#143 Michael3,643
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#144 Wilhelm3,586
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#145 Klaudiusz3,489